Deborah Tannen examines conversation style and explains that how you say things is often as important as what you say. Part 1: Language and meaning -- Part 2: Signals, devices, and rituals -- Part 3: Framing, metamessages, and schismogenesis -- Part 4: Pacing and pausing -- Part 5: Overlap and interruption -- Part 6: Indirectness -- Part 7: Listenership: co-creating meaning -- Part 8: Conversational style and relationships.

Presents authors Deborah Tannen and Robert Bly, who are at the forefront of men's and women's issues, talking to each other about gender and styles. Each brings an informed perspective on how men and women approach each other and conversation itself. Bly and Tannen agree that it is crucial to describe both the differences and similarities, so that men and women can respect each other, and in the process, present a model of how that is done.

The film raises gender issues and provokes the viewer to reflect on how our society can deprive boys of wholeness. Through the formative events of a boy's life, we come to understand the ways in which men can become emotionally disconnected and alienated from their feminine side. Illustrates how boys are socialized by fear, power and shame.